South Haven Meijer store set to open in 2014, will bring 250 to 300 jobs

A Meijer store will open on Phoenix Road in South Haven in 2014.Steph Anderson Chambers | MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette

SOUTH HAVEN, MI -- Drivers of Phoenix Road in South Haven may have noticed some changes near the road's intersection at Blue Star Highway in recent weeks.

Walker-based big-box retailer Meijer Inc. has cleared land to make way for its new, 194,000 square foot supercenter. Meijer Director of Public Relations Frank Guglielmi said work is on schedule and moving forward, and that the store will open in 2014. He did not know in which month of 2014 the store will open, but said it generally takes a year to build a Meijer store.

Guglielmi said the store will bring between 250 and 300 jobs to South Haven.

Cynthia and Henry Compton, who owned the land where Meijer will be built, had been approached about three years before the February 2012 vote by a developer. The Comptons had put together a campaign called Citizens for Jobs and Choices to advocate for upholding the zoning change.

The store will be just slightly smaller than the Wal-Mart a half-mile down the road. Meijer will provide 720 parking spots.

Emily Monacelli is a local government and taxes reporter for the Kalamazoo Gazette. Contact her at emonacel@mlive.com. Follow her on Twitter.